Hope Survives Best at the Hearth
by SkylarNelson
Summary: These are short stories based on what Percy said when he gave Pandora's Pithos to Hestia as an offering. Rated T cause I'm paranoid. Percabeth cause I LOVE it.
1. Annabeth 1

****These are short scenes surrounding what Percy said when he gave Pandora's Pithos to Hestia as an offering.****

**The first is Annabeth reflecting on Percy's words, the day after the Great Prophecy came to pass.**

**I love Percabeth, so I'm going to incorporate a bit of it in each scene.  
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**P.S. I do not own PJO. All credit goes to the **_**genius**_** Rick Riordan.**

Hope Survives Best at the Hearth:

Chapter One:

**Annabeth**

"Annabeth?"

I turned to come face to face with deep sea green eyes and messy black hair. I couldn't resist smiling. "Hey, Percy! What's up?"

He sat down next to me on the edge of the boat dock and dangled his feet in the water. If it wasn't for the look in his eyes that resembled weariness beyond the years of any average sixteen-year old, I would never have guessed that he had just battled the Lord of the Titans the day before. He looked pretty much the same as ever. He wore a Camp HalfBlood t-shirt and basketball shorts, and his messy hair hung down over his eyes. His eyes twinkled mischievously—the main reason that I had originally thought that he was a son of Hermes when I met him; that is, until I realized that _his_ mischievous gleam wasn't harmful to you: with or without shaving cream and a trip wire.

There was also something new in his gaze. Something that had always been hidden before, but now was displayed prominently. Pure affection. I could still feel the salty fresh taste of his lips on mine from the night before. I had a hard time believing it, but the look in his eyes proved my doubt wrong. I was dating Perseus Jackson.

"I was on my way to the training grounds when I noticed you over here." He bumped me playfully with his shoulder. "What gives? You've _never_ taken breaks; as long as I've known you."

I shrugged. "You've never seen me on the day after the biggest war in Camp HalfBlood history. Besides," I added. "What about you? I've never seen _you _up this early. Heck, the sun's still rising!" I pointed out the orange and crimson sunrise to the East.

He pursed his lips, "I'm not sure whether to be relieved or insulted by that…"

I laughed and he smiled. He watched me carefully for a few moments, as if taking in every inch of my face. Then he turned to the sunrise, "I've got to say… if I've been missing a sight like _this_… I think I'll be waking up early more often…"

I smiled. "The sunrise _is_ beautiful, isn't it?"

He nodded in agreement, "Yeah… though I was kinda talking about the sunlight that's reflecting on your face…"

I felt my face grow hot, "W-what?"

His eyes widened and he turned an even darker color than what the hazy light was _already_ turning him. Then he pinched his nose and shut his eyes tight. "Did I just say that out loud?" he muttered.

I chuckled, "Yes. Yes you did." **(A.N. PHINEAS AND FERB ROCKS!)**

He turned and gave me a wry smile, then he slid over so that his left thigh was flesh with mine. When he turned to look me in the eye, our faces were inches apart. "I hope that I didn't just creep you out," he whispered, his gentle gaze catching mine.

I shook my head slowly keeping my eyes on his deep green ones, "I thought it was kind of cute…"

He smiled, and, for the first time, it was _Percy_ that leaned in to kiss _me_. His fingers grazed my cheek and his other hand brushed against my waist. The kiss was soft and sweet. His lips tasted the same as always: like an ocean breeze.

"I'm _never_ going to get tired of that!" an excited voice broke us apart. We turned to see Grover, Thalia, and Nico approaching us, Thalia still in her crutches. Grover's voice echoed across the water as the two guys sat cross-legged behind us, and Thalia sat next to Nico with her legs dangling off of the dock, her crutches next to her.

Percy turned around and copied the boys' posture, while I sat next to him on my knees. Nico grinned knowingly at Percy, who turned a deep shade of scarlet. "I've got to agree with Goat Boy," the son of Hades chuckled. "We were all so _frustrated_ with you two _dancing around _each other… It's a good change of pace to see you dating." I felt my cheeks color to match Percy's, and I stared down at my lap.

Percy, however, chuckled at the statement. "Keep talking, Death Breath," he threatened teasingly, "and you'll find yourself in a small air-bubble at the bottom of the Atlantic." I looked up to see his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You _know_ I can do it, too," he added. That set the five of us in a round of laughter.

I glanced around at my friends. Close friends that I'd battled against death with time and time again. My gaze strayed to Percy, and I remembered what he had told Hestia when he gave her Pandora's jar as an offering. _Hope survives best at the hearth,_ he had said. _Guard it for me, and I won't be tempted to give up again_. At the time, I hadn't understood what he meant. Now, I did.

I had always assumed that the hearth and the home is where you eat and sleep and hang your hat. But now, I understood… that home is where the people you cherish are. Wherever they go. Home is where you feel safe and loved. These people that hold your heart, and your home, and your _hearth_… these people are what you fight for. These people are your source for hope. The people that would never leave you… never let you die… The people that you hold close to your heart. Nothing matters but them.

I looked back up at Percy, suddenly realizing that he had known something I didn't. He once told me that his fatal flaw is personal loyalty. It was one of the deadliest of flaws… but also one of the purest. Because he—unlike most of humanity—understood what's important. Percy understood that things like phones and games and books… those can be replaced. You can't replace your friends and family. _They're_ what you should cherish and keep safe. He thought that his own life was nothing compared to the lives of those around them. After all, even an enemy demigod can become something great. President. Congress. Anything. But… once they die… that's it. Nothing else. Percy understood that. And I was glad that I did too, now.

"Annabeth?" Thalia's voice yanked me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay? You've been staring at Percy for the last several minutes…"

I glanced at her electric blue eyes that—even when crippled—still shined with an air of defiance. I nodded. "I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Percy brushed a stray lock of hair out of my eyes. "Care to enlighten us?"

I sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… what I just figured out… I'm pretty sure that you already know…"

Nico's, Thalia's, and Grover's jaws dropped to the wooden dock. "Wait," Grover held up his hands, palms out. "You mean that there's something that _Percy_ knows, but you only _just_ figured out? _What is it_?"

I stared up at Percy's calm green eyes. "Hope survives best at the hearth," I whispered to myself.

Percy's gaze flooded with understanding, then changed to a look of teasing amusement. "You mean that you only _just_ figured that out?" he asked with a smirk.

I shrugged. "Well, we can't _all_ have a fatal flaw like _yours_ Seaweed Brain."

He chuckled with amusement. "To be honest, I'm kind of _glad_ of what my fatal flaw is. So far, it's done more good than harm."

The other three glanced back and forth between us in confusion. I turned to them and explained what I had just figured out. Their eyes widened when I finished, and they watched Percy with new eyes.

We talked for several more minutes, Percy always seeming to keep the mood light in his usual goofy kid of way. When the conch shell rang out, signaling breakfast, we all filed out and headed for the mess hall. Percy and I lagged behind, until the others left us in the dust. Halfway there, I turned to my new boyfriend. "Percy?"

"Mmm?"

"You know what I said once… about building something permanent?"

He stopped and turned to face me, apparently noticing the heaviness of the question, "Of course. Why? What's wrong?"

I sighed. "Everyone that I've been close to has always left me of their own accord in one way or another. I'm just… I'm just worried that you'll do the same…"

He watched me thoughtfully for a moment, until his hands caught my hips and he gently pushed me up against a tree—luckily it was uninhabited, or we'd probably get in trouble with a couple wood nymphs. Percy leaned forward until his forehead pressed against mine, and the scent of the ocean wafted around me.

"Listen to me carefully," he whispered. "The only way I will _ever_ leave you is if I'm kidnapped by a god. I plan on staying. Not just because I'd hate to see you hurt. You forget… I'm risking the wrath of Athena just by being _near_ you right now. I don't think I _can_ stay away from you. Got it?" As he spoke, his fingers slid around my waist and trailed up and down my spine.

I smiled, and I traced the line of his jaw with a finger. I felt him shiver under my touch. He caught my hand from his face and laced his fingers through mine.

"Got it," I whispered, as his lips descended on mine.

**For those of you who didn't get it… Percy's last little speech was **_**foreshadowing**_**… And because I hope to put a little bit of Percabeth in each story.**

**Percabeth is GOD… Anyone who tries to break them apart… Consider it breaking an oath on the River Styx… Just don't go there…**

**Five comments and I will upload the next story!**

**Also: Check out my most popular story: I'm in Love with My Best Friend**

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**AtlantaJackson95**


	2. Sally 2

**The second scene is Sally's reaction to the voicemail that Percy left while on his quest in SoN.  
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**P.S. I do not own PJO. All credit goes to the _genius_**** Rick Riordan.****  
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Chapter Two:

**Sally**

Six months. Six _months_.

It's been six months since Percy went missing. Everyone he knows has been going insane with worry. Poseidon has been prone to earthquakes on the Northwest Coast. Paul clams up when he sees the empty desk at Goode High. Chiron Iris-messages me every day to give updates on the construction of the Argo II. Annabeth has taken to coming to see me every Friday, though it seems to be more for _her_ comfort than for _mine_.

And me.

I've stopped writing. My laptop sits aimlessly on my dresser collecting dust. Instead, I spent my free time sitting on his bed, staring sightlessly around his messy room. At times I can almost see him in front of me. A six-year old boy smashing two power rangers together, making exaggerated sound effects every time one of them connects with an object. An eight-year old boy with his knees skinned up yelling excitedly about his first loose tooth. A twelve-year old boy returning from preventing WWIII with new scrapes and scars, walking with an aura of weariness well beyond his years. A fourteen-year old boy meeting Paul in person for the first time, messy black hair now streaked with gray from saving the girl he couldn't seem to figure out that he loved. Finally, a sixteen-year old _hero_ with his arms around the girl's waist and her back to his chest, his sea-green eyes invisible through her thick mane of golden curls as he buries his face in her hair.

As the last image faded, it wrenched out my tears, and my lap stained with saltwater. I missed his carefree grin and those sarcastic jokes he made when facing either demon hellhounds or five paragraph essays. I missed the boy who could make anyone love him so much that when he leaves it feels as if the entire world is crashing down around you. I missed my son. I missed Percy Jackson.

A knock on the door yanked me out of my thoughts. I would recognize that firm and serious sound anywhere. I opened the door to let Annabeth in.

I expected her face to be wet with tears, but instead her eyes were shining brighter than the stars. "Did Chiron tell you?" she practically shrieked.

I shook my head, "Tell me what?"

"It's Grover! He can sense Percy! The empathy link's working again!" Those three sentences lifted my heart out of my stomach and threatened to crash through the ceiling. I grinned and hugged Annabeth tightly, both of us letting out six months of tears. Though, this time, they were tears of joy.

When we finished crying, we sat down on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate and Annabeth explained how Percy—though Grover couldn't contact him—was somewhere in the San Francisco bay area; most likely at the Roman camp. _Camp Jupiter_, Annabeth called it.

We were so absorbed in conversation that it took us a while to notice the blinking message light on my answering machine. Apparently, someone had called at midnight the night before. I figured that it was just some automated advertisement, so I hit the play button, expecting to hear an electronic woman's voice.

It wasn't.

"Mom," Percy's familiar voice rang out loud and clear through the static-laden receiver.

I nearly spewed my hot chocolate, as Annabeth gave the machine a double take, then stared at it with extreme longing.

"Hey," the voice continued, and I focused on those simple words. "I'm alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and…"

He faltered, as if trying to figure out how to explain six months in the thirty seconds that the voicemail gave him. "Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest—" He stopped himself, probably knowing how much Annabeth and I would worry about him. I glanced over at her, but she seemed to have forgotten that I existed, as her worried gaze fixed itself on the tiny black box that Percy's achingly familiar voice came out of. My heart wrenched, and I focused my entire being on Percy's words.

There was a slight bit of static, like Percy was shifting the phone, then he continued, "I'll make it home. I promise. Love you." More static noises, then the sound of him hanging up.

Annabeth stared at the phone, as if willing it to ring, willing Percy to speak again. I found myself doing the same. After a few moments, she reached over and hit the repeat message button, and Percy's voice started over like a broken cassette tape.

I watched as the bags under her eyes seemed to disappear, and her stormy gray eyes flooded with relief. Fresh tears cascaded onto my lap. My mind seemed to sing to me. _Percy's alive. Percy's alive. Percy's alive._

We listened to his voice until we could recite it from memory. By the time Paul got home, we were sitting in the same spot, listening to Percy's reassurance that he was alive and was coming home.

**So? How was it? Do I continue? Ten comments and I will!**

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**AtlantaJackson95**


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